Why Lake Anna Keeps Getting Better | DWR Biologist John Odenkirk

On this exciting episode of Fishing the DMV I have on Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources biologist John Odenkirk for an in-depth Lake Anna fishing report covering largemouth bass, northern snakeheads, striped bass, hybrid stripers, Saugeye, crappie, chain pickerel and the lake’s forage populations. Anglers fishing Lake Anna, the North Anna River, Pamunkey Creek, Contrary Creek and the greater Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County area will get a detailed look at why this Virginia fishery continues to improve.

Lake Anna’s largemouth bass population is producing historic survey results. During DWR’s latest standardized electrofishing survey, biologists collected an average of 138 bass per hour and 122 adult, stock-size bass per hour—both new records for the lake’s long-term sampling program. John explains why those numbers are so impressive for a large, clear-water reservoir and how submerged aquatic vegetation, water willow, woody cover, abundant forage and a productive watershed have helped Lake Anna move far beyond its old “Dead Sea” reputation.

We also break down the return of hydrilla and other aquatic vegetation, the difference between today’s limited grass carp management and the massive stockings of the 1990s, and why healthy vegetation matters for bass habitat, shoreline protection and nutrient control. John discusses wake-boat concerns in the narrower portions of the lake, harmful algal blooms, drought conditions and the potential effects of future water demands and data-center development within the North Anna watershed.

Beyond largemouth bass fishing, this episode covers the future of Lake Anna’s northern snakehead population, DWR’s striped bass and hybrid striped bass stocking strategy, and the major success of the saugeye program. John explains why pure stripers grow slowly at Lake Anna, why hybrids may be better suited to the reservoir and where anglers may find saugeye during the winter. We also discuss rising crappie numbers, chain pickerel in the upper Contrary Creek area, the difficulty of measuring blueback herring and threadfin shad, and other improving Virginia bass fisheries such as Nye Reservoir, Occoquan Reservoir and the tidal Rappahannock River.

In this episode, we cover:

• Record-setting Lake Anna largemouth bass survey results
• How hydrilla, water willow and aquatic habitat support bass
• Northern snakehead population trends and possible future regulations
• Striped bass, hybrid striped bass and saugeye stocking updates
• Crappie, chain pickerel and Lake Anna forage populations
• Productive areas of the North Anna and Pamunkey arms
• Grass carp management, wake boats and shoreline erosion
• Ni Reservoir, Occoquan Reservoir and tidal Rappahannock bass fishing

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